ANDY Prior and his big band are set to do it their way in Lytham for the final dates of a Magic of Sinatra UK tour - and he can't wait to be back.

Andy, currently in Cork, will be playing classics like Luck Be A Lady Tonight and New York, New York at Lytham's Lowther Pavilion on March 5 and 6.

But it's been a long tour for Andy and his 22-strong band, who have been touring on and off for two years taking in 86 different towns and cities, including Blackpool's Grand Theatre last November.

He said: "We officially finish the tour with our dates in Belfast and Derry. But we added these extra dates in Lytham because we wanted to be on home soil when we finished.

"The reception we have got all over the UK has been magnificent. Even in January when we were at the London Palladium we packed the house.

"But I like the Lowther Pavilion. Although it's quite a bit smaller than most places we play to, it's more intimate and I think that's a nice thing.

"I can't wait to be back. The people in the area are just such a nice crowd. Blackpool is the home of my kind of music and there's nowhere quite like it.

"We're definitely going to let our hair down now the tour is coming to a close. We're going to have a bit of a party afterwards."

But his tour, a celebration of the work of Ol' Blue Eyes, has reached an end as a mark of respect after Sinatra's death late last year.

"We didn't want to carry it on because the tour is billed as a celebration of his music and was never really designed as a tribute", said Andy.

And he is looking forward to relaxing after the tour, because he gets married in three weeks' time in Las Vegas, and is in the process of moving house back to Blackpool. Andy's show kicks off an initiative to attract bigger names to the pavilion.

Fylde's tourism officer Paul Norris said: "The council has a policy of supporting the arts and Lowther is the obvious venue in which to offer quality productions.

"We are starting with Andy Prior because he has previously put on superb shows at the Lowther attracting large audiences."

Tickets for Andy Prior are £11 and available from Lowther Pavilion Cafe or the St Annes tourist information centre. Alternatively phone the ticket hotline for a night to remember on 01253 725610.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.